Collisions & Concussions
by a-and-afan413
Summary: Austin, Ally, and Dez are on their way to the mall when they are rear-ended by another car. Ally gets a concussion. What happens when Austin has to take care of her?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I got in a wreck the other day and I had a concussion so it inspired me to write an Aussly version of my story. Let me know what you guys think!**

**Disclaimer: I live off student loans. Trust me, I own nothing.**

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-DING-

I'm sitting at the baby grand piano in my living room, working on the chorus to a new song for Austin when my phone's text tone goes off.

**'Hey me and Dez are heading to mall. Want a ride?'** I sigh at Austin's grammar. Well, at least I somehow finally convinced him to spell out the words 'to' and 'are' instead of just using '2' and 'r.' It's Sunday so Sonic Boom doesn't open until noon. I check the time and see that it's 10:30. That gives me a pretty good amount of time to walk the mall with my friends and maybe grab a snack before I have to open up the store.

**'Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks Austin :)'** I text back. I quickly pull a yellow cardigan over my blue and white floral print shirt and pull on a pair of grey Toms. I head downstairs and text my dad to let him know my plans for the day. He's away in Las Vegas for a music convention of some sort and won't be back until sometime on Wednesday. I've grown pretty accustomed to my dad being away on business for several days in a row. I kind of like having the house to myself sometimes, though. I like the peace and quiet.

After about five minutes I see the front door swing open and in walk Austin and Dez. Austin never knocks anymore because I usually just yell at him to come in. He knows that I don't mind.

"Can I use your bathroom?" Dez asks frantically, dancing around like a toddler. "I can't make it to the mall."

"Haha sure," I laugh, waving him towards the downstairs powder room.

"So, are we gonna work on that song some more after you get off work tonight?" My blonde best friend asks.

"Yeah, of course. Wanna come back by the store around six?" I reply, smiling up at him. I love working with him, especially when it's just the two of us. Trish and Dez are great, but they always make comments about Austin and I that make me embarrassed and it makes it harder to concentrate on the music. It also makes it hard to concentrate on his back muscles, which I stare at when he's not looking, but you didn't hear that from me.

"Sounds like a plan," he smiles as Dez emerges from the bathroom.

"Okay, let's hit the road, I really want to buy a copy of the new Zaliens sequel! Shotgun!" Dez yells as he runs out the front door and grabs the handle of Austin's mom's 2008 Honda Accord. He could easily afford a new model but I know he has been saving up for the perfect Camaro.

"Aww man," I whine, resigning to sit in the back seat, behind Dez so that I can still see Austin, even if I'm not right next to him

"Haha, everybody wants to sit by me," Austin chuckles, looking smug, seemingly pleased by the fact that we're 'fighting' to sit next to him.

"No, it's not that. I just wanted to win at something." Dez says, and Austin's expression turns to mock-hurt.

We drove to the mall singing along obnoxiously to the radio. It's not a terribly long drive; fifteen minutes at the most. By the time we get close it's around 11:00 and lots of people are leaving church and heading to the mall so there's a decent amount of traffic. The turn into the parking lot has a line of cars, and we slow to a stop with about five or so cars in front of us and wait our turn. We're a few feet away from the car in front of us so I'm surprised when I heard the squeal of brakes. Why would Austin slam on the brakes like that? We definitely weren't that close to the car in front of us.

Suddenly I hear the crunching of metal and I am flung forward in my seat. Just as quickly, I fly backwards and I can feel my head collide with the seat behind me. I grab my head, before I have even fully realized what's happening, and I groan in pain. There's a deep ache in my head and neck. I turn my head around, gasping from the pain in my neck and look behind me to see that the trunk of Austin's car is scrunched up and mostly blocking my view. Above the remains of the trunk I see a small white SUV with the airbags deployed. I lay down across the back seat and groan in pain as I vaguely register Austin asking me if I'm okay. Before I have time to respond, I hear him having a rushed conversation with what must be 911. He's telling them to bring an ambulance. Is Dez hurt? I sit back up, fighting to regain awareness of the situation. I see that a large knot is forming on Austin's head. he must have hit it on the steering wheel. Dez is holding onto his left shoulder and gasping in pain.

"Shit, Ally, are you okay? Where are you bleeding?" Austin asks me, frantically. I finally realize that my fingers are red with blood. I look at him with my eyes wide and reach for the back of my head. I pull my hands away and there's a little bit more blood. I turn around and see the metal piece between the headrest and the seat has a bit of blood on it. It doesn't look too serious but it hurts like hell. Once I have finally realized what has happened, a young girl, probably about 20 years old, walks up to Austin's window. She is crying hard and apologizing profusely. I hold my aching head in my hands and Dez turns to me to make sure I'm okay.

"Breathe, Ally. It's okay. You just hit your head on the seat. You're going to be fine," Dez says in the most comforting voice he can manage. I can tell he is worried too. I didn't even realize I'd been hyperventilating th whole time. Austin tries to send the girl away so he can focus on me but she just continues to cry and apologize for the collision. She finally sees me and the small amount of blood on my fingers and she begins to sob even harder.

Austin finally just ignores her and crawls into the backseat with me. He grabs my hand in one of his and lifts my chin with his other one.

"Ally, are you okay?" he asks, his voice calm. He sounds so in control but I know that deep down he is freaking out.

"Yeah. I'm okay. My head hurts really bad," I finally manage to choke out, trying not to cry. Suddenly I feel a wave of nausea overcome me. I quickly fumble for the car door and throw it open. I lean out of the door and empty the contents of my stomach into the street. Dez and Austin both give me very worried looks.

"That's not good. She probably has a concussion," Dez says, as I continue to gag and throw up. The process only makes my head hurt worse.

"The ambulance is on its way. I don't know what else to do," Austin replies, holding my hair back. Has he been doing that the whole time? That's actually kind of sweet, in a weird way. After about another minute of me just spitting onto the road to get the taste out of my mouth I sit up and see a police car and an ambulance nearing us. They quickly block off the road which has started to accumulate quite a bit of traffic.

Austin opens the car door and helps me out. Once I'm standing, he carries me over to the paramedics and tells them about my head. They pull down the stretcher and help me lay down on it. It hurts the cut on the back of my head to be laying on it.

"Can I ride in there with her?" I hear Austin ask. They tell him he'll have to sit up front and that only one of them could ride with me. As the back doors of the ambulance close, I see him hand Dez some money for a cab ride to the hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry this chapter is so short, but**

**1- I wanted it done tonight, and**

**2- I only want to have one POV in each chapter, for right now, and I want the cat scan and x-ray to be in Ally's POV.**

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Austin's POV

After Ally was closed up in the back of the ambulance and Dez went off to catch a cab, the police officer asked me to get all of my personal items out of the car because it would have to be towed. The whole trunk of the car had been ripped and scrunched to a point right behind Ally's seat. My new subs had been crushed and the car wasn't driveable but all I could think about was Ally.

As I look through the car to see if we need anything I spot Ally's phone and keys in the backseat. I grab them and my phone and keys. There's nothing else in the car of importance so I go back to the police officer and ask him again if I can ride in the ambulance with Ally. After he asks me a few more questions about the accident he finally lets me go and tells me that he will stop by the hospital later to check up on us.

I hop into the front seat of the ambulance and the driver soon joins me. He asks me a few questions about myself, probably just to fill the silence while we drive to the hospital. Every once in a while he has to turn on the siren to get cars out of the way, and even though I'm worried about Ally, I have to admit that it's pretty cool to hear the sirens from the inside.

When we finally make it to the hospital, I jump out and follow the driver to the back doors. They lower Ally's stretcher to the ground and bring her inside where they move her onto another bed. I grab her hand as soon as I can.

"Austin, did you call my dad yet?" she asks me, laying still on the bed.

"No, I completely forgot about it. I'm sorry. I'll call him now." I pull her phone out of my back pocket and scroll until I find her fathers number. I press it to my ear and wait for an answer.

"Hi sweetie, how are things going at the store?" he asks perkily when he picks up after the second ring.

"Mr. Dawson, this is Austin. I was giving Ally a ride to the mall and a girl rear-ended us really hard and we're at the hospital right now. Ally's fine, we think it's probably just a concussion, but they're about to check her out right now," I try to sound as calm as possible. I hope it's working because I don't want to freak her dad out, but I'm really nervous.

"What? Do I need to come home?" He asks frantically as Ally gestures for me to give her the phone.

"I think she'll be okay, sir. She wants to talk to you." I hand the phone over to Ally and I rub my thumb over the back of her hand as she talks to her father calmly.

"No, Dad. I'm fine. My head and neck just hurt. It's probably a concussion. There's really nothing you can do so there's no need for you to leave and fly all the way back here. I'll call you back or have Austin call you back after they're done checking me out and if it's anything worse you can come back." Ally tries to reason with her father. She's right. I've had a concussion before and there's really not much that her dad could do for her that I couldn't.

"I'm going to be in pain whether he's here or not so I don't see the point in him wasting his money on the flight if it isn't going to change anything," Ally explains to me.

"No, I totally agree with you. There's really nothing he can do for you that I can't do just as easily." I tell her as Dez walks in, followed closely by my parents.

"Hey man, I figured you'd be too caught up with Ally to think about calling your parents so I did it for you," he tells me as he walks up to Ally and asks her how she's feeling.

"Oh honey, are you kids okay?" My mom asks as she runs a thumb over the knot forming on my head.

"Yeah, Mom. I just hit my head on the steering wheel. I can barely even feel it. Ally's seatbelt didn't lock fast enough so she came up into the front seat and when she went back she slammed her head against the seat rest." I tell them as they move to look at Ally. "Unfortunately, since she was in the back, Ally got the worst of it."

About this time, the doctor comes to check on Ally. "Alright, Miss Dawson," he says, pulling out his stethoscope,"Can you take a deep breath and let it out for me?" He asks this a few more times as he moves the stethoscope around on her chest and back. Next he takes out a flashlight thing and looks at her eyes.

"In a few minutes a nurse will come get you and take you for a CT Scan and x-rays and I'll look over those and be back to check on you." The doctor leaves the room as Ally nods.

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**AN: Again, sorry it's so short. Definitely leave me a comment if you like the story or even if you don't. It'll pick up soon and have lots of Aussly moments, don't worry!**

**Also, trust me, it's realistic for her dad not to come home for just a concussion. When I got mine two days ago my dad was out of town and he didn't come home, he just sent my cousin to stay with me and watch me.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry this chapter is kinda short too, but after this one I'm going to be getting into the ones where Ally gets to go home and Austin gets to take care of her. Let me know what you think**

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**Ally's POV**

I wait in the main emergency room for a while before they move me to my own room. Austin's parents go to talk to the police officer about the damage done to the vehicle while Dez goes to find me a Sprite and some crackers to settle my stomach because I'm still feeling pretty nauseous. Austin and I are the only ones in the room while I wait for a nurse to take me back for my CAT Scan.

"Ally, I am so sorry," Austin says. He looks up at me with sad eyes. He almost looks like he could cry.

"Austin, it's not your fault. There's no way you could've gotten us out of it. There were cars in front of us and beside us. We were trapped there." I tell him, rubbing my thumb along the back of his hand. I didn't even realize we were still holding hands.

"I looked in the rearview mirror. I saw her looking down and I knew she was going too fast. I knew she was gonna hit us. All I had time to do was push down harder on the brakes so we didn't hit the car in front of us." I didn't realize that he had seen it coming. That must have made him feel so helpless.

We talk for about 45 minutes until a nurse comes in and tells me it's time for my CAT Scan and x-rays. I walk with her down the hall to a room with the large machine. I lay down on the bed, causing a sharp pain to stab the wound in the back of my head. I can't help but cry out a little. It makes my head throb harder. The nurse moves the bed back so my head is under the machine and she tells me to stay still.

I'm really nervous and don't know what to expect but I sit still under the machine and I realize that nothing is really happening. It makes a whirring noise for about a minute and the nurse tells me it's done. I get up off the bed and walk with her to another room to take my x-rays. I face forward, left, right, then forward again with my mouth open. After she takes all of the pictures she tells me to sit down for a while. I take this time away from everyone to call my dad back.

"Hey Dad," I say into the phone.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling?" He asks me, sounding very concerned.

"My head is throbbing and the spot I hit really hurts to touch, but I'm gonna be fine. They just did my CAT Scan and my x-ray and I'm waiting for the results to find out if I have a concussion or if anything's broken." I tell him calmly.

"Okay sweetie, call me back as soon as you can and let me know what they find. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad. I'll call you back later. Bye." I hang up the phone just as the nurse comes back.

"Alright, I'm going to take you back to your room and the doctor's going to look over these and get back to you with the results in a little while." She tells me as I stand up and follow her back to the room I was waiting in. When we open the door Austin looks up from his phone to me.

"Hey, Dez just went to go pick us up some food because he said there weren't any crackers in the vending machine. Do you want anything? I'm starving," he asks me as I walk back in and sit down on the bed.

"Can he just get me like a cup of pickles from a burger place or does it not work like that?" I ask, chuckling. I don't like being in this hospital room and I just want something comfortable and familiar. I'm also starving but I'm afraid I won't be able to keep much down.

"Haha, I'm sure we can arrange that," he chuckles at me, smiling warmly. "Ally, I'm really glad you're okay. I was so scared when I saw that you were hurt. I don't know what I would do if anything serious happened to you." It warms my heart to hear him say that.

"Thanks Austin, I'm really proud of the way you handled the whole situation. And thank you for staying in here with me. I'd be bored out of my mind in here by myself." I tell him.

"Of course, Alls. I'll always be here for you," he says as he texts Dez and tells him to try to get me some pickles. "Do you think your dad is going to fly back here?"

"I hope not," I tell him. "There's really nothing he can do. I don't want him to waste his money on the flight and miss the convention just to sit at home with me while I hurt for like a day. I'll probably feel better before he even gets back from his trip in three days so I don't see the point in wasting his time."

"Well, if you need anything I'll definitely be there for you. My mom says if it is a concussion you should probably stay with us tonight since it's dangerous to sleep with one. I know normally you'd stay with Trish but since she's visiting her grandparents this week I thought my house would be a good second choice." Austin had already called Trish earlier and explained the situation. She told him to have me call her later after we left the hospital and she hated that she couldn't come see me, but she was almost 2 hours away.

"Damn. My neck is killing me. I was hoping to sleep in my own bed." I tell him. I have probably the world's most comfortable bed, and while I love how sweet it is that Austin wants to take care of me, I can't help but be a little disappointed to not be able to sleep on my magical cloud of a mattress. Especially with how sore I was.

"Well maybe I could talk my mom into letting me sleep on your couch tonight so that you can get comfortable in your bed but I can still be there to wake you up every once in a while to make sure you're okay." He says, coming up with a good compromise, but I doubt his parents will allow it. His dad is iffy about Austin being alone with girls and his mom is so naturally nurturing that I'm sure she will want to take care of me.

"I guess it's worth a shot. I just really want to try to get comfortable because this really hurts." We wait and talk for another thirty minutes or so before the doctor comes back in.

"Well, Miss Ally, you've definitely got a concussion, but as far as I can tell, that's about it. There's nothing broken and you should be fine. I'm gonna write you a few prescriptions. I'm going to give you something for nausea, a muscle relaxer, and an anti-inflammatory, which is basically just an extra-strength Ibuprofen. You're going to really feel it in the morning. The next two days you'll be really sore, you probably won't want to move around too much, there's a good chance you pulled a muscle in your neck or shoulder so that pain will probably show up tomorrow. There's really not too much you can do other than try to get some rest and relax, but after the soreness is gone in a couple of days you'll be good as new. There's nothing to worry about. For tonight I would recommend having somebody stay with you. You should be good to go to sleep but it wouldn't hurt to have somebody there when you wake up." He finishes his long speech, asks me if I have any questions, and when I tell him that I don't, he leaves the room again to write my prescriptions.

Soon after he leaves Dez walks in the room with a burger and fries for Austin and a cup full of pickle slices for me.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I think this may be my favorite chapter so far and it's the longest. I plan to have the next chapter up by Wednesday but I have a lot of homework due Tuesday so I may not be able to get it done. I'm starting to get more ideas for this story and I'm liking where it's going so please let me know if you are too.**

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**Ally's POV**

The doctor returned with my prescriptions a while later and once the nurses got my insurance information from my dad over the phone they gave me instructions to get the police report for the accident from the police station when it was ready in a few days and bring it back to their billing office so that we wouldn't be charged for my visit.

By the time we left the hospital it was 7 PM. Today was a busy day for them and since my accident wasn't life-threatening it took them longer than normal to get to me. Unfortunately, since it took so long the pharmacy I use was already closed for the night

It took some convincing and a few calls to my dad, but both he and Austin's parents finally decided that Austin would be allowed to stay the night at my house and keep an eye on me as long as he slept on the couch. That was a given. It'd be reeeaaalllly awkward to share a bed with my best friend and I had no plans to do so.

His parents drove us and Dez home after I was finally discharged. They dropped Dez off first and then stopped by their house to pick up clothes and toiletries for Austin to use at my house. When they dropped us off at my house they handed Austin a few twenty dollar bills for dinner tonight and in case we needed anything tomorrow. Austin accepted it gratefully, picked up his duffel bag, and came to my side of the car to open my door for me. He held out his hand and I took it as he helped me out of the car. He kept his arm wrapped firmly around my shoulders as he unlocked and opened my front door and helped me in, turning to quickly wave goodbye to his parents.

I'm glad I'm finally home. Today has been a long, rough day.

"Soooo..." Austin says, smiling at me, "I've never been to a girl's sleepover. Are we doing pillow fights and chick flicks?"

I laugh at his attempt to joke and say, "I was thinking more like pizza, ice cream, and musicals."

"That sounds absolutely perfect. Why don't you go change and get comfortable while I go place our order," he suggests, and it sounds like a great plan to me. I slowly walk upstairs to my room, keeping my hand on the rail because the movement is making my head hurt. I delicately take off my work clothes and change into a pair of my most comfortable leggings, a pair of fuzzy socks, and a big t-shirt that I'm pretty sure used to belong to Austin; but it's been in my closet for so long and I've worn it so many times on lazy days that I'm sure not even Austin remembers that it's his. I brush my hair out and put it in a ponytail and I scrub off my makeup.

I walk back downstairs when I'm done and see Austin shuffling through my DVDs. He holds up a handful to me and lists off some titles

"Phantom of the Opera?"

"Hmm.. no, too.. formal."

"Rent?"

"No, too sad."

"Singing in the Rain?"

"Not feeling it today."

"Mamma Mia?"

"Ooh, that could work!" I say excitedly. It's upbeat and fun, and it's perfect for sing-alongs, which we're bound to do.

"Awesome. I'm gonna go ahead and head out and go pick up our pizza and ice cream. Where are your car keys?" He asks me.

"On the table by the garage door," I tell him. "Be careful!"

He rolls his eyes and smiles at me as he grabs my keys and heads out the door. I decide that while he's gone I'll get the movie set up in the DVD player. I turn on the surround sound but set it to a level that isn't going to split my head open. I grab two Ibuprofins from my medicine cabinet and fix myself an ice pack fro the knot on my head. Austin texts me to tell me he's on his way back so I get us a big blanket to snuggle under as we watch the movie and I set out plates, napkins, and cans of soda on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Honey, I'm home!" Austin yells jokingly as he enters through the garage door, holding a large pizza with a gallon of ice cream on top. His other hand is behind his back. "Guess what I have for you." He tells me as I giggle a little and roll my eyes at his playful mood.

"I don't know, show me!" I tell him as he sets the food on the coffee table. From behind his back he pulls out a box.

"Surprise! It's a heat pack. You put it in the microwave and it warms up and you can put it on your sore muscles. I'm sure you could use it tomorrow. The doctor said your neck and shoulders will be hurting really bad from the whiplash. I hope this can make it at least a little bit better." He smiles up at me and it's contagious. I grin right back at him.

"Thank you so much, Austin! That's so thoughtful! I love it!" I set the box aside for now since I was feeling okay and the Ibuprofen was helping with the throbbing in my head and I pulled the blanket up, motioning for Austin to come sit by me. He flipped the lights off and grabbed the remote then snuggled in behind me. His back leaned against the arm rest and his legs stretched out along the length of the sofa, spread lightly so I could nestle myself in between them. I grabbed one of the throw pillows at the other end of the couch and placed it on his chest, resting my head against it; because, let's be honest, his rock hard abs would probably hurt my head. I love moments like this with him. I can forget how weird the semi-romantic side of our relationship is and I can just embrace it. We both know how we feel about each other and it's nice to not have to hide it all the time. It's not like we really act on it. All we're doing is cuddling and watching a movie, and that's plenty enough for me for now.

Austin pulls a slice of pizza out of the box and sets it on a plate, which he holds above my head. I grab one too and set the plate in my lap and press play. We sit through the movie for a few minutes, munching on our pizza and making small comments on the movie- usually to say 'I love this song' before just about every song.

I don't know exactly when I turned onto my side or when the fingers of his right hand intertwined with my left, but I can tell you when I noticed it. During the song Lay All Your Love On Me, Austin looked into my eyes and began to sing along.

"I wasn't jealous before we met

Now every man that I see is a potential threat," he sings, balling his hands into fists at the end of the second line.

"And I'm possessive, it isn't nice

You've heard me saying that smoking was my only vice

But now it isn't true

Now everything is new

And all I've learned

Has overturned

I beg of you," by the end of his part his face was very close to mine. I then joined him in the duet, singing Sophie's part.

"Don't go wasting your emotion

Lay all your love on me," I was very close to him again, i rolled over so that our chests were touching and i held his cheek in my hand. Before I continued my part I sat up on my knees on the couch and he followed suit so that we were face to face.

"It was like shooting a sitting duck

A little small talk, a smile and baby I was stuck

I still don't know what you've done with me

A grown-up woman should never fall so easily

I feel a kind of fear

When I don't have you near

Unsatisfied

I skip my pride

I beg you dear"

As he began to pick back up on the male part he laid me on the couch on my back, just like they were doing in the movie. He gazed into my eyes as he hovered above me and held my cheek in one hand while he brushed my hair out of my face with his other hand.

"Don't go wasting your emotion

Lay all your love on me"

The squealing in the movie alerted us to our position and we sat back up. His face turned red when he realized the position we had been in and he moved off the couch. He started to clean up our pizza mess and said that he was tired and that we should probably go to sleep.

"Um, yeah, you're right," I say, helping him clean. "Thanks for staying with me tonight. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. How are you feeling?" he asks me, looking genuinely concerned.

"Much better." I reply truthfully.

"Okay well I'm going to set myself an alarm and come wake you up and check on you every three hours or so. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds great," I tell him as we finish up cleaning and I head off to bed.

When I'm in my room I take off my socks and leggings and opt to sleep in just my t-shirt and underwear. I'll have the blankets over me when Austin comes in to check up on me so I don't think it matters too much. I spend a few minutes trying to get comfortable before I drift off to sleep. Austin wakes me up twice in the middle of the night. After I assure him that I'm still breathing he goes back downstairs and I drift back to sleep.

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**AN: I love that song from Mamma Mia and I felt like it would bring out their chemistry and kinda put in a little moment to make Austin feel awkward haha. Don't worry, he'll get comfortable with it eventually. Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So I said I would have the next chapter up by Wednesday but inspiration struck me last night and this morning so you're getting it on Monday! I like this chapter because the beginning reflects what happened to me when I woke up the morning after my accident. When I woke up I was unable to sit up but no one was at home with me so I had to reach for my phone and call my dad and ask him what to do. Please review and let me know what you think!**

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**Ally's POV**

I wake up with my head pounding and I blindly grab my phone off of my nightstand. It's 8 AM. I try for a minute to fall back asleep but my head hurts so bad I know it isn't going to happen so I decide to get up and get some breakfast. I move to sit up on my bed and.. I can't. I can't sit up. I'm stuck here!

I try to turn my head to one side or the other but my neck muscles prevent it. I try once more to sit up but my head is practically glued to the pillow. I don't know what to do!

"Austin!" I yell through my house, kicking my feet in panic. I'm starting to hyperventilate.

"Austin! Help!" I'm nearly screaming now and I hear loud thuds coming up the stairs and Austin enters my room out of breath. He's at my side immediately and his hands go to my legs, trying to stop my kicking. When I stop he calmly touches my face and asks me what's wrong.

"Ally, you need to calm down and tell me what's wrong so I can help you. Breathe, Alls. Breathe."

"Austin I-I c-can't. I can't get up. Help me! I don't know what to do! I can't get up by myself. I don't know why." My breathing has slowed but I'm crying now.

"Do you want me to help you try to get up on your own or do you want me to just pick you up and do it for you?" he asks. I think about what I'm wearing, well, not wearing, really.

"Can you just help me? I don't know what to do." I say, my tears are slowing.

"Okay, I'm gonna roll you over onto your stomach and then you're going to lift yourself up with your arms and get up that way. I think it's just that your neck and shoulders are so sore from the accident that they can't lift your head and pull you into a sitting position." He tells me calmly as he pulls my blankets down just a little to get both of his hands under my back. He slowly rolls me over so that I'm on my stomach and I start to feel nauseous.

"Austin, get me a trash can" I tell him sharply and he runs across my room in record speed to bring a trash can to me. I lift myself up onto my hands and knees and he puts the trashcan on my bed, where I can reach it. He quickly gathers my hair into his hands just in time for me to throw up last night's pizza into the bin.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. You're okay," he tells me as he rubs my back with the hand that isn't in my hair. I cry out in pain as my vomiting causes my already very sore neck muscles to move entirely too much.

A few minutes later, when I'm done with my vomiting and I'm sitting up I realize that Austin's sitting on my bed with me in nothing but his boxers and I'm wearing nothing but a loose t-shirt and my orange underwear with a lace waistband. This is awkward and I think he's starting to sense it too.

"While you're up why don't you get dressed and everything and I'll go make you some breakfast and when you're ready we'll go to the drug store and pick up your prescriptions. Hopefully those will make you feel better.

"Okay," I agreed and he turned and left the room. I walked to my closet and searched for a simple outfit. I found a pair of pink high-waisted shorts and a flowy, white short-sleeve top that looked easy enough to put on. I began getting dressed and after a short moment I found a problem- I couldnt hook my bra. I have it on over my shoulders but my shoulders can't stretch to reach the clasp in the back. This is so embarrassing. It's not like I can ask Austin to help me with this, can I?

After a few more failed attempts I resign to putting the flowy top over my unclasped bra. I pull on my shorts and walk downstairs. When I get to the kitchen I see Austin at the stove.

"Are you... making omelets?" I ask him, confusion is written all over my face, I'm sure.

"Well you didn't have any pancake mix so I figured omelets would be the next best thing. Plus, this way I get to show you my mad omelette flipping skills. Check this out." He says, expertly flipping the omelette in the pan. It never ceases to amaze me that he's great at nearly everything he tries. How does one person even find the time to perfect every skill they encounter?

"Where on Earth did you learn how to do that?" I ask him incredulously.

"From Dez! Sometimes when we run out of pancakes we make these instead. I think his mom taught him and then he taught me. Pretty cool, huh?" He says, transferring the first omelette from the skillet to a plate.

"Yeah. Actually, I came down here to ask you a favor. I know it's really awkward but, um, I've been trying for a while and I just can't do it myself..." I trail off, looking at my feet. I can't believe I'm having to ask him this.

"Sure, Ally! Anything!" He replies, enthusiastically.

"Well, um, I can't really reach my arms behind my back," I pause and demonstrate for him, proving that my arms can't extend that way right now. "And I was wondering if you could maybe clasp my bra for me? I know it's really weird and obviously I wouldn't normally ask you to do something like this but it kinda needs to be done.."

"Ally, you can stop rambling. It's okay. I'll do it for you."

"Wait, really?" I ask, finally looking back up at him. His eyes show concern and maybe a little bit of nervousness.

"Sure, turn around," he says. I turn so that my back is facing him and he lifts the back of my shirt up until it rests against the back of my neck. I shiver as his warm fingers touch the sides of my back as he picks up the ends of the band. He pulls them, stretching them across my back, and pauses.

"Um there's like three different hook things here. Which one do I put it on?" He asks me.

"Um, just put it on the tightest one. Furthest to the left." I reply. He pulls the ends of the band together tighter and puts each hook into its loop individually. I almost don't want his hands to leave as he finishes and pulls my shirt down,

"There you go," he says, patting my back awkwardly as he realizes how intimate that moment really was.

"Thanks, Austin," I tell him as he shuffles back over to the stove to make an omelette for himself

After we've finished our breakfast and cleaned up after ourselves, Austin and I head to the drugstore to pick up my prescription. I'm in so much pain that I can't wait to have them filled anymore. Before we got in the car Austin put the new heat pack he got for me last night in the microwave for a couple of minutes. We're in the car right now and I have the heat pack trapped between my neck and the headrest of the passenger seat of my car. I can't turn my head to look out of the sideview mirrors so there's no way I can drive. The heat pack is probably a million degrees and it's burning my skin; but at the same time it feels so wonderful on my sore muscles. I sink into it and let out a small groan, thanking God for the slight relief in my strained neck.

"I can't believe you're trusting me to drive you anywhere after yesterday," Austin says. He's trying to make it sound like a joke but I know Austin and I can tell that deep down he means it.

"Austin, I want you to know that I don't blame you at all for what happened. There's nothing you could've done and I'm going to be fine. This doesn't make you a bad driver just because you were stuck in a bad situation with no way out. The way you handled it and called 911 and acted so calm was amazing. And you've been so great with me since I got out of the emergency room. If I had to be in that situation I'm glad I was in it with you." I tell him and he smiles warmly and looks truly relieved.

"Thanks Ally. That means a lot. I was so worried about you," he says as he leans over to lightly kiss the top of my head. I blush and smile as we pull into the parking lot of the drug store. We walk to the back, where the pharmacy is, and hand them my prescriptions. The woman behind the counter tells us it will take about thirty minutes to get them filled so we walk around the store while we wait.

"So what do you want to do today? Lay in bed and watch movies? Lay in bed while I re-enact all of Moulin Rouge from memory? Lay in bed and sleep?" he asks me, chuckling at his suggestions.

"Well I definitely want to lay down; but you better watch out before I take you up on the Moulin Rouge one-man-show," I reply teasingly.

"I'd do it for you. No shame. 'The greatest thing... I've ever learned... is to love... and be loved... in returrrrnnnn!'" He yells through the store, entirely too loud as I erupt into laughter.

"Stop making me laugh!" I yell at him through my laughter. I'm nearly in tears from giggling at him. "It makes my neck hurt."

"Sorry. I'm a funny guy. I can't help it," he smirks as he gently puts his arm around me.

We walk around for a few more minutes before I decide that my back is hurting too bad and I need to sit down. After about ten more minutes Austin goes to the pharmacy counter and pays for my prescriptions and we head back to my house.

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**AN: Okay so I'm going to go aahead and keep writing this story but I'm going to say for now that I'm not going to post the next chapter until I get 20 reviews. So if you really like this story and want more of it let me know what you think! Thanks guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thanks SO much for the reviews guys! Sorry it took so long but I've been super busy. I think I like this chapter and it's my longest so far so let me know what you think!**

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Ally's POV

When we get back to my house I take one muscle relaxer, one anti-inflammatory, and one nausea pill. Within thirty minutes I'm already feeling much better but I still can't sit up on my own. Austin calls his parents and tell them what happened that morning and explains that he should stay with me today and probably spend the night again tonight. His mom immediately agrees without even asking his dad's opinion. I call my dad and update him. He tells me he's sorry that I'm hurting and that he hopes I'll feel better soon.

I'm laying on one end of the couch and Austin's at the other, obnoxiously tickling my feet. When he's bored he likes to annoy me and we've been sitting here doing pretty much nothing for the last 20 minutes or so.

"Stop tickling me! It hurts to laugh!" I tell him through my giggles.

"I'm sorry Alls, I'm just bored. Hey, it's about lunch time. How about I go get us something to eat?" He suggests, and I'm glad for a plan that doesn't involve me moving.

"That sounds great. I kinda want to take a nap anyway." I tell him.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go pick us up some food then and you can get a quick nap while I'm gone. What do you want to eat?" He asks.

"Hmmmm... surprise me. You know what I order from everywhere."

"You got it. I'll be back in a bit. Get some rest."he tells me as he grabs my keys and walks out the door. I decide to go upstairs and sleep in my own comfy bed. I curl up under a blanket and hug a stuffed animal close to my chest. I'm pretty sure only a minute or two pass before I drift off to sleep.

My dream starts out as a nightmare. I was fine after the wreck but Austin was in the hospital dying. I felt so helpless just sitting there by the hospital bed. I started to cry but soon after I was enveloped in an overwhelming sense of warmth and comfort and my dream immediately changed into a happy one where Austin and I were together and having fun. I felt so safe and loved.

When I woke up I felt a heaviness around my waist. I couldn't look down without my neck hurting so I moved my hand down and was met with a strong arm. Oh please God let that be Austin. I roll slightly onto my stomach and lift myself up with my arms. I sit up and look over. Yep, it's Austin. Thank God.

He wakes up slowly and rubs his eyes. "Oh hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I came up to tell you I was back with lunch but you looked like you were having a bad dream and I wanted to wake you up gently so I came and sat by you but then you got so much better so I just kinda wanted to lay here... What were you dreaming about?"

"It's okay, Austin." I say, smiling warmly at him. "I was having a nightmare about the wreck. I was fine but you were hurt really bad and I thought I was gonna lose you. But then you suddenly got better and it turned into a really good dream."

"Awww you'd be that upset if something happened to me?" he asks, teasingly.

"Of course I would, Austin. I can't even begin to imagine my life without you. Promise me you won't let anything happen to take you away from me." I say, changing the tone back to a serious one.

"I'll do my absolute best, Alls. You're my best friend, and probably the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I don't know what I would do if you had been seriously hurt. I'm scared enough as it is." He plants a soft kiss on my forehead and I smile up at him for a moment before we realize how intimate the moment is. "Oh, um, I went to Taco Bell. It's probably getting cold. We should go downstairs and eat."

"Ugh I don't wanna walk allll the way downstairrrs," I groan as I stand up slowly.

"Well then, your chariot awaits you, madam." He says, squatting down to offer me a piggy back ride.

"Don't mind if I do," I reply, lightly placing my arms around his neck as he lifts my legs and wraps them around his waist. I'll never tell him but I love the way his strong shoulders feel under my arms and his back muscles flex against my chest. He walks carefully down the stairs and plops me down on the couch. I already miss the feeling of being held close against him.

Our burritos were cold so he popped them in the microwave to warm them slightly. When he came back, he sat next to me on the couch and placed our food on the coffee table in front of us.

"Movie?" I ask him, making a puppy dog face.

"You and movies this week, geez," he laughs. "Have something in mind?"

My eyes trail across the DVD shelf before they fall on one of my favorite movies that I haven't seen in a while. "Moulin Rouge?" I ask, another puppy dog face. Getting him to watch a musical with me two days in a row is very unlikely but it's worth a shot because I'm injured and he knows they're my favorite. Besides, he likes them a lot more than he lets on.

"Ugh, fine. Just stop looking at me like that. I can't take it," he says teasingly. I smile and clap my hands in excitement. A few seconds pass with neither of us moving before I look back over at him and stick out my bottom lip.

"Oh and now you want me to get up and do all the work? You better be glad I put up with you. This is getting ridiculous," he teases me again as he gets up to put in the DVD.

"You love me," I say thoughtlessly, meaning to tease him back, but I see him pause with his back turned to me. He stands still for a couple of seconds before I hear a quiet "Yeah" as he continues to work on starting the movie. Um, what was that? Was that like a moment? What just happened here? I'm kind of freaking out but when he turns back to walk towards the couch he is smiling so I just brush it off.

Within a few minutes of the movie starting, I'm snuggled up into him again like I was last night. We laugh together as we watch and I complain about picking a funny movie because it hurts to laugh. We also sing along, as is typical. I know he secretly loves to sing movie duets with me.

When we get to the part where the main characters are standing on top of the elephant, Austin looks at me and speaks along with Christian's speaking part.

"Silly of me, to think that you could fall in love with someone like me." The moment makes my spine tingle, but I go along with it, reciting Satine's lines back at him.

"I can't fall in love with anyone."

"Can't fall in love? But a life without love, that's terrible!" he continues the scene.

"No, being on the street, that's terrible!"

"No, love is like oxygen!"

"What?" I breathe out, interrupting him, just like they do on screen. I smile knowing that he has the words to my favorite move memorized. I knew he likes musicals more than he lets on.

"Love is a many splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong! All you need is love."

"Please don't start that again," I chuckle as he starts to sing along with the beginning of the duet. Austin and I are about to sing along to a full love song duet. Why did he start this? Is he trying to say he loves me? I like him more than I could even begin to describe but I'm still so afraid of what will happen if it doesn't work. I mean, there are only two outcomes for a relationship. Either you break up, or you get married. And honestly, that is an absolutely terrifying thought. I'm pulled out of my contemplation when I realize that I'll have to sing along with him.

**(AN: For clarification I'll put Austin's singing part in bold)**

"**All you need is love**." he sings to me

"A girl has got to eat." I reply

"**All you need is love**." he insists again, along with the movie.

"Or she'll end up on the streets."

"**All you need is love**." My main reason for resisting my feelings for Austin is that it could mess up our friendship and possibly our partnership

"Love is just a game." Maybe I shouldn't be so worried...

"**I was made for loving you baby, you were made for loving me." **Okay, I definitely like Austin. A lot. And now he's singing a love song with me and looking at me with those eyes.

"The only way of loving me baby, is to pay a lovely fee." Okay the eyes need to stop. It's hard to think of reasons we shouldn't be together when he's looking at me like that.

"**Just one night, give me just one night.**" My heart is melting. He just held my hand. I'm losing most coherent thought right now and the memorized lyrics are pretty much just falling out of my mouth subconsciously as I gaze into his gorgeous brown eyes.

"There's no way, 'cause you can't pay."

"**In the name of love, one night in the name of love.**" He needs to stop singing this stuff before I start thinking he means it.

"You crazy fool, I won't give in to you." I really won't I'm not just going to fall in love with him because he's singing along to some love medley from my favorite movie which he learned all the words to and that's probably the sweetest, most romantic thing a guy has done for me

"**Don't leave me this way, **

**I can't survive without your sweet love, oh baby**

**Don't leave me this way.**" Okay, I won't... I am basically swooning right now. This needs to stop.

"You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs."

"**I look around me and I see, it isn't so, oh no."**

"Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs." I could definitely see us writing love songs together,

"**Well what's wrong with that? I'd like to know.**

**'Cause here I go again! **

**Love lifts us up where we belong, **

**Where eagles fly, on a mountain high."**

"Love makes us act like we are fools,

Throw our lives away, for one happy day." That's basically what we would be doing if we got together. We would probably be throwing away our careers and our futures and our friendship to be together.

"**We could be heroes! Just for one day."** What I would give just to kiss him for one day.

"You, you will be mean."

"**No I won't!"**

"And I, I'll drink all the time."

"**We should be lovers." **The way he looks at me when he sings this line, I can't even explain it. These lyrics are getting to him too. I can tell he's having the same internal battle I'm having.

"We can't do that." I'm nearly pleading with my eyes, trying to hold onto some reason I used to have for why we shouldn't be doing this but I'm forgetting.

"**We should be lovers, and that's a fact.**" Okay, there it went. I'm pretty sure I just actually saw all of the reasoning float out of his brain

"Though nothing, will keep us together." I say, losing the last of my reasoning too and giving in to the moment.

"**We could steal time... "**

"_Just for one day. We could be heroes, forever and ever._

_We could be heroes, forever and ever. We could be heroes... _" we sing together

"**Just because I will always love you." **he lays me on my back on the couch and hovers above me.

"_I can't help loving you. How wonderful life is, now you're in the world,_" we sing together softly before our lips collide in what is, without a doubt, the most perfect, passionate kiss I could have ever imagined.

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**AN: Ahhh kind of a cliffhanger! They just kissed! And Ally's having some serious internal struggle in this chapter. Please review and let me know how you feel about it. I'll try to have the next chapter up sometime this weekend, probably on Sunday.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I decided to write another chapter in Austin's POV and I thought this would be a great place for it so you guys could know how he's feeling about this whole situation. This is mostly just fluff. Sorry it took so long, my wifi went out for like 2 days**

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Austin's POV

I am kissing Ally. I am kissing my best friend. Ally Dawson. Right now. Like, our lips are currently touching. And I'm not doing all the work here. Alls is kissing me back. Holy shit. She is actually kissing me back. I know we've done this a couple times before, but each time feels even more magical than the last. I'm so glad no one can read my mind because I am literally internally fan girling over kissing my best friend.

This kiss is way more passionate than our other two were. I'm hovering above her with my elbows resting on either side of her head and our lips are moving together perfectly. This is probably one of the greatest feelings I've ever experienced. I run my tongue across her bottom lip and she lets me in. Okay, this is serious. I adjust myself so that one arm is still holding me above her but now I can hold her cheek in my other hand. I love feeling her blush under my fingers as we kiss. I could definitely get used to this.

After about five to ten minutes of pure making out with my best friend I finally pull back for air and I regret it as soon as I do it because I can see the 'oh my god we shouldn't have done that' look on her face. If I had known she was going to look like that when we finished I would have kissed her for much longer. She moves underneath me to get herself in a seated position and looks down in her lap instead of up at me.

"Um, Austin, that was-" I can tell she was going to say something negative but I cut her off before she can so that she knows how I feel about her.

"Amazing. It was amazing, Ally. It was... perfect... and right and exactly what we both want. Any reasons for regretting it are total crap. I've thought about this and debated it for so long, but sometimes you just have to go for it and do what you know, in your heart, feels right. And you feel so right. I don't care about the reasons we shouldn't be together. They don't matter. The only thing that matters is how we feel when we're together. And I know that when we're together I feel like I can do anything and like nothing could make me happier than doing the thing I love most with the girl I love most. I don't want to run from these feelings anymore, Ally. I can't stand it. I want to make you happy. I want you to trust me and let me love you."

Wow. Okay. So I definitely just said that. And Ally is still just standing there with her hand over her mouth, looking shocked. Oh no. What if she doesn't actually feel that way? I mean, I thought she did, but do I really know?

"Ally? Please say something," I plead with her and grab her hand.

She continues to stare at me and finally one word falls out of her lips. "Okay."

"Okay? Okay what?" I ask her, confused.

"You're right. I should trust you. If you think we can make it work, it's worth a shot. I don't want to live my whole life wondering 'what if.' These feelings aren't going to just go away so I shouldn't keep making myself miserable trying to fight them. I love you, Austin." I'm pretty sure no instrument in the world could make a sound as beautiful as Ally telling me she loves me. I push her back against the armrest of the couch and kiss her passionately again, pouring every ounce of emotion I can through my lips and onto hers.

I cup her face and gently run my thumb along her cheek as I move my lips against hers. I could do this forever and never get tired of it. I love the taste of her mouth as she lets my tongue slip in and we fight for dominance for only a second before she gives in and lets me take control of the kiss. I love how she lets me be in control because she's so innocent and inexperienced. I love that I'm the only guy who has ever kissed her. And, if I have anything to say about it, it will stay that way forever.

After a few minutes I finally pull away from her and smile as I watch her eyes slowly flutter open. "You're so beautiful, Ally. Will you be my girlfriend?" I know it sounds like a lame request after I just professed my love for her, but I need to know that we're on the same page with this. I need her to finally be mine and only mine.

"I have one condition," she says, smiling mischievously.

"What's that?" I ask her, smiling back.

"You have to give me the best massage ever, because my shoulders are still killing me, and then I'll be your girlfriend. Deal?" She says as she flips herself over onto her stomach and giggles at me.

"Deal," I laugh, getting off of the couch.

"Where are you going?" she asks, curiously.

"You said it has to be the best massage ever for you to say yes so I'm going to get some supplies," I call out as I run up the stairs to her bathroom. I hear her laugh as I walk toward her medicine cabinet to find that really good smelling lotion she uses. She has like four different bottles so I sniff all of them before I find the one I'm looking for. I bring it and a towel downstairs. When I get downstairs, Ally is still laying on her stomach with her shirt pulled up to the middle of her back. Okay. Now I see the problem with this plan. I am almost positive there is no way Ally is going to take her shirt off so I can massage her. I really wasn't even thinking about it like that, honest! I just wanted to give her a really good, relaxing massage. But now I'm thinking about Ally shirtless and I kind of want to ask her to pull it the rest of the way up. I have to bring this up delicately so she doesn't get all freaked out...

"I can't reach your shoulders, girl. Adjust yourself." I go with a joking approach so it doesn't seem too intimate. I know it would freak her out if she thought I was thinking about her like that so I tried to make the mood as light as possible.

"I tried. I can't move my shoulders like that," she mumbles into the throw pillow. Wow. Okay. So, she actually tried to take her shirt off while I was gone. Ally was willing to take her shirt off. So I could massage her. Okay, Austin, keep calm.

"Want some help?" I swear to God I did not mean to say that! It just slipped out. Oh my God she's going to freak!

"Yeah, can you?" she asks, holding her arms up above her head.

Fuck.

Ally literally just asked me to undress her.

Okay, I can't let her see me standing here with my mouth open like this or she'll definitely get self conscious and make me stop. "Sure," I say, keeping my voice as calm as possible. I stand at the other end of the couch and gently pull them hem of her shirt up towards me. I try not to think about the fact that my new girlfriend who I've been in love with for months, is lying here in front of me in jus shorts and a bra that I helped her put on this morning. I take a deep breath to calm myself and move above her and spread the lotion on my hands.

"That muscle relaxer must be really kicking in. I'm feeling kinda loopy," she says. Okay. Maybe that's why she's so okay with this. But it's not like I'm gonna argue with her. I'm really loving this situation but it's not like I'd ever take advantage of her. All I'm going to do is massage her back. I can keep it under control.

I glide my hands across her back to spread the lotion before I start to massage her back and shoulders gently. She normally likes me to push down pretty hard when I rub her shoulders but I don't want to hurt her already aching muscles.

"Wow it's like you just magically know exactly how and where to do that," she mumbles. I smile to myself as I continue to rub gentle circles on her skin. I get a little daring once or twice and run my fingers underneath the band of her bra. She says nothing. Every once in a while she'll let out a soft moan and it takes everything in my power to keep my hands on track. I want to record that moan and put it in one of my songs one day.

"Ally, are you falling asleep?" I ask her after I realize she's been silent for a couple minutes.

"Hmmmm" she hums, wiggling slightly, letting me know that she's on the verge of sleep. I laugh to myself and find a blanket to cover her in because I can't get her shirt back on without waking her and I don't want to derail the crazy amount of trust she showed me earlier.

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**Question!: Am I the only one who totally thinks they should have an episode of A&A set a few years in the future and have Riker and Vanessa play them?! Because, really, what's the point of your lead actors having older siblings that are nearly identical to them if you don't use them for the show lol**

**AN: I'm worried this chapter was a little too rushed with the intimacy so I may decide to balance it out by making Ally flip out over being shirtless but I'm not dead set on it yet so let me know what you think.**


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